From Boardroom to Big Screen Amazons OpenAI Film
The tech world's most dramatic boardroom saga is getting the Hollywood treatment. Amazon MGM Studios is developing Artificial, a $40 million comedic thriller for Prime Video that chronicles the chaotic firing and rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over a tense Thanksgiving weekend in 2023.
Andrew Garfield (center) with "The Social Network" co-stars Jesse Eisenberg (left) and Justin Timberlake (right). Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage
For five days, the industry was captivated by the blow-by-blow updates as a leadership crisis unfolded. By the end of the holiday weekend, the situation had bizarrely reversed itself, with Altman back at the helm. Now, this high-stakes drama is being adapted for the screen.
Star-Studded Cast to Portray AI Titans
Leading the film is Andrew Garfield, who will play Sam Altman. Garfield is no stranger to tech biopics, having previously starred as Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. He will be joined by his real-life girlfriend Monica Barbaro, cast as OpenAI’s CTO Mira Murati. Murati was a central figure who initially voted to oust Altman, served as interim CEO for three days, and later co-founded her own AI company, Thinking Machines, which is now reportedly valued at $10 billion.
Oscar-nominated actor Yura Borisov will portray Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s chief scientist who spearheaded the board's revolt against Altman. Sutskever's journey was one of the most unpredictable, as he later expressed regret and was instrumental in Altman's return. He has since left OpenAI to launch his own AI safety-focused startup, Safe Superintelligence Inc.
Speculation also surrounds Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is married to former OpenAI board member Tasha McCauley, another key player in the attempt to fire Altman over safety concerns. Gordon-Levitt’s public advocacy for data privacy makes him a compelling, though unconfirmed, choice for the role of Emmett Shear, who also briefly served as interim CEO. The film is in talks to be directed by Luca Guadagnino (Challengers) and is expected to shoot in San Francisco and Italy.
Amazon's Ironic Role in the AI Drama
What adds a layer of irony to the production of Artificial is Amazon's own complex history with OpenAI. Amazon Web Services was one of the founding investors who pledged $1 billion in 2015 to establish OpenAI as a non-profit dedicated to the safe development of AGI.
However, Amazon later pivoted, choosing not to fund subsequent rounds for OpenAI and instead investing a massive $8 billion in Anthropic, a direct competitor founded by former OpenAI members with a focus on AI safety. Today, Anthropic boasts a valuation of $61.5 billion, while OpenAI is estimated to be worth around $300 billion but remains unable to go public due to its non-profit structure.
Despite backing a rival, Amazon still partners with OpenAI through its AWS Bedrock service, making its relationship with the AI leader decidedly mixed. According to an early script review from Puck, Altman and Elon Musk are unlikely to be pleased with their portrayals in the film. It seems the real-world AI drama is far from over.
